Pakistan – Mutton Payee

by Dahiza Umar

INTRODUCTION TO THE DISH

Paya is a famous dish, originated from the Punjab region of Pakistan. This dish is very high in calories because of the use of special ghee, desi ghee in this dish. The payee is actually mutton or beef’s legs. Payee of mutton is even more popular than beef but having almost same taste. It is actually a curry or gravy of legs with different flavors and aromas of the spices used in it.

NAMING OF THE DISH

In this dish, Only the main ingredient is payee. Payee are actually known as ”Legs” in Urdu. So simple this dish is known as paaye or payee curry.

The consistency of the gravy cooked with payee is not very thick. The use of vegetables like onion, tomatoes, garlic, and ginger make it a little thicker but can be reduced by adding water to make it a little thin. They have the sticky texture of the curry and gravy with which many other spices like cumin, coriander, garam masala, etc.

COMPONENTS OF THE DISH

There are three main components from which this beautiful dish come up with great taste and aroma:

Curry / Gravy

The first and foremost thing to make up this dish is curry or the sauce of the paya with which when paya stock is added make it a little thinner and palatable. It is not like the usual curry to make. This dish has special flavors to added to the gravy. The aroma of making payee with unique spices and addition of Ghee / clarified butter. The use of onions, garlic, ginger, yogurt in making curry is very delicious.

Payee stock/ broth

Payee with simple water, salt, some corinader seeds and fennel seeds is cooked properly until they get tender and the bone marrow with meat is infused in water. This takes around an hour to complete the broth because meat of legs is hard to tender.

Garnishing

With payee, many thing are gone with it like following :

• Green chillies sliced
• Ginger sliced
• Fresh coriander
• Garam masala
• Lemon juice

SERVED WITH

This dish is served with special type of bread found over the tandoor in Pakistan like

• Roghani naan
• Roghani roti
• Sada naan
• Khameri roti
• Butter naan etc

CLEANING OF PAYEE/ MUTTON LEGS BEFORE COOKING

Payee has to be cleaned properly before cooking because sometimes, They have left hairs on the top of the skin that make them weird. So We have to pick that legs from the butcher which are cleaned properly. Then take warm boiling water and put legs on them for 20 minutes so the skin and meat of legs become smooth and cleaned properly. Now add lemon juice over the legs then the smell of meat goes away and they are ready to cook.

TIME REQUIRED

• Preparatione time : 30 minutes
• Cooking time: 1 hour
• Total time: 1 hour and 30 minutes

NUTRITIONAL ASPECTS

• Calories : 400 kcal
• Carbohydrates : 2 grams
• Fat : 22 grams
• Protein : 4 grams

INGREDIENTS FOR CURRY

• Clarified butter / desi ghee : 1 cup
• Onion : 4
• Tomatoes : 2
• Garlic paste : 4 tbsp
• Ginger paste : 4 tbsp
• Green chilies paste : 4 tbsp
• Cumin powder : 1 tbsp
• Salt : 1 tbsp
• Coriander : 2 tbsp
• Red pepper: 1 tbsp
• Turmeric powder : 1/2 tsp

METHOD OF COOKING

• Take ghee/ butter in the pan and add onions into it.
• Sauteed it for a while until egt tranlucent then add garlic ginger paste with green chilies paste.
• Now add 2 glass of water and all the spices into it.
• Let it cook for 15 minutes.
• Than add yogurt, and fry it for a time.
• Now our curry is ready

PAYA STOCK INGREDIENTS

• Payee : 4
• Water : 8 glass
• Salt : 1 tbsp
• Cumin seeds : 1 tbsp
• Coriander : 2 tbsp

METHOD OF COOKING

• Take water and add all the things into it like salt, paya, cumin seeds etc.
• It takes half an hour to cook the paya properly until tendered.

ASSEMBLING

Now its time to mix curry with stock and let them cook for 30 more minutes. Now paya is ready to serve.

COURSE : MAIN COURSE

SERVINGS : 6 TO 8 PERSONS